Grajewo, Poland Yizkor Book

Proposal
Grajewo (Grayavah, Graevo, Grayeve, Grayevo) Poland

Project Name: Translation of Grayeve Yisker-bukh (Grayewo memorial book). Editors: Dr. Gorge Gorin, New York, United Grayever Relief Committee, 1950 (Y,H,P,G, E)

Project Co-leaders:
Shelly Levin and Evelyn Fine

JewishGen Yizkor Book Project Manager: Lance Ackerfeld

Project Synopsis

Jewish people have been living in Grajewo, a small town in the province of Bialystok, Poland since the latter half of the 17^th century. The 1765 census counted 83 Jewish people and by 1857, the number had grown to 1,457 when they comprised 76% of the entire population of Grajewo. At the turn of the 20^th century the population was 4,336, but this fell to just 2,834 by 1921, when the percentage had decreased to 39% of the population.

Anti-Semitism, from both the political establishment and the general population was common throughout contemporary Europe. Development of significant anti-Jewish outbreaks in Grajewo occurred in 1933. During the Soviet occupation, between September 1939 and June 1941, Jewish businesses became nationalized. The capture of Grajewo on 22 June, 1941 by the Germans marked the beginning of the devastation and horrors thrust upon the Jewish population. Within a few months, 1,600–2,000 Jews had been sent to the transit camp at Bogosza and on to the extermination camps at Treblinka and Auschwitz.

The United Grayever (Grajewo) Relief committee memorialized the destruction of Jewish Grajewo by publishing a Yizkor book in 1950. Now, 60 years later, we hope to raise funds to have the memorial book translated from the Yiddish, Hebrew, Polish and German text into English. Translation has begun with the table of contents and will proceed with the remaining chapters of the book.

Key Audiences

Jewish genealogists tracing their roots in this town constitute the primary audience for the material. The material also has the potential to be of interest to researchers specializing in the history of the area.

Project Importance

Yizkor books are unique sources of information on once vibrant towns, primarily in central and Eastern Europe, whose Jewish populations were destroyed in the Holocaust. Written after World War II by émigrés and Holocaust survivors, Yizkor books contain narratives of the history of the town, details of daily life, religious and political figures and movements, education, and gripping stories of the major intellectual and Zionist movements of the 20th century. The necrologies and lists of residents are of tremendous genealogical value, as often the names of individuals who were taken to extermination camps or shot in the forests are not recorded elsewhere. Usually written in Hebrew or Yiddish, these important books are not accessible to most users, including those descendents who are not versed in these languages. Thus, the translation of Yizkor books into English unlocks this information to an even greater audience and future generations to come.. The JewishGen Yizkor Book Project received the award in 2002 for outstanding contribution to Jewish genealogy by the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies.

To quote Dr. Gorge Gorin, New York, United Grayever Relief Committee, “It follows, therefore, that every one of us should consider it a duty to remember those martyrs, our brothers and sisters, parents, cousins and friends, who did not have the good fortune to save themselves and who perished so horribly.” Consequently, we feel it is incumbent upon us to translate the Grajewo Yizkor book into English so that the memory of Grajewo will live on forever.” “To all generations: לדור ודור” (LeDor VaDor).

Project Description

The project goal is to put the translation of the full Yizkor book online at http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/translations.html. The project coordinators will spearhead a fundraising effort. As funds become available, the project coordinators in conjunction with Jewish Gen will hire professional translators. Additional tasks the project coordinators will perform include selecting the order of the chapters to be translated, proofreading, editing, and preparing the work for submission to the Yizkor Book Project Manager.

Estimated Cost: $8,000

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